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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25474663">Into the Light</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/frostedroyaltea/pseuds/frostedroyaltea'>frostedroyaltea</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Speak of the Devil AU [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Arrow (TV 2012), Daredevil (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Backstory, Bratva (Arrow TV 2012), Bratva Oliver Queen, First Meetings, Gen, One Shot, POV Third Person, POV Third Person Limited, Prequel, Russian Mafia, Short, Short One Shot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:01:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,211</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25474663</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/frostedroyaltea/pseuds/frostedroyaltea</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>How Oliver met Anatoly &amp; Vladimir. Takes place before 'the devil and the bratva'.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anatoly Ranskahov &amp; Vladimir Ranskahov, John Diggle &amp; Oliver Queen &amp; Felicity Smoak, Moira Queen &amp; Oliver Queen &amp; Thea Queen, Tommy Merlyn &amp; Oliver Queen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Speak of the Devil AU [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1810366</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Into the Light</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This takes place before 'the devil and the bratva' (2015) and after season 1 of Arrow (2012) so this takes place about 2013/2014. Anatoly and Vladimir escaped Utkin around 2007.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>One of Oliver’s targets would take him to New York, likely Manhattan based on the man’s previous habits. He was affiliated with the Bratva, Oliver recognized one of the tattoos the man had as one of the Bratva. </p><p> </p><p>He and Diggle went down to the garage. He had called ahead, the men there knew he would be coming. “Mr. Queen,” one said. “What is that you needed?” He was new, probably had just started working his way up the ranks.</p><p> </p><p>“Are there any branches in New York? I’m looking for someone there.”</p><p> </p><p>The man nods. “Someone took it up recently, just a few years ago. In Manhattan, I think.”</p><p> </p><p>Oliver smiles. “Thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>The man, kid really, looks at him nervously though it’s hidden well. “Any time.”</p><p> </p><p>**********</p><p> </p><p>“I think I found our next lead,” Oliver tells Felicity and Diggle once he gets back to his base. “I’m going to reach out to a group in Manhattan, see if they have anything.”</p><p> </p><p>Diggle raises his eyebrows in that disapproving look of his. “You’re going to show up in New York as The Hood?”</p><p> </p><p>“Why not? They already have vigilantes. Batman’s there.” </p><p> </p><p>“Stay safe,” Felicity says. “If you need us call.”</p><p> </p><p>“I will.”</p><p> </p><p>They say their farewells and then Oliver is planning his trip to NewYork. While on the plane he does research. Crime rates have gone up in recent years, especially in a neighbourhood called Clinton, otherwise known as Hell’s Kitchen. </p><p> </p><p>He plans to go there first. If he can’t find anything there he’ll regroup and figure out what to do next. </p><p> </p><p>**********</p><p> </p><p>Really he shouldn’t have figured it’d be so easy. He never saw the woman crossing the street. She, and her family, were suing him. </p><p> </p><p>Eventually, they came to a compromise. If Oliver paid the hospital bills, and any rehabilitation bills they wouldn’t sue. He agreed. Oliver also had to pay the company he was renting the motorcycle from fines too. </p><p> </p><p>The issue was kept mostly quiet but now people were wondering why Oliver Queen happened to stumble upon Hell’s Kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>Oliver got a call from Felicity the night after the trial, the whole ordeal took less than a few days to deal with but he was still surprised his friends hadn’t called sooner. “Hey, Felicity.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hi. I heard what happened. Is she okay? Are <em>you  </em>okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. Everyone’s fine. It’ll probably be a while before I get back. I’m going to wait for everything to settle before I try to get a meeting.”</p><p> </p><p>“Your family’s worried. Tommy too.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll give them a call,” Oliver tells her. “I’ve got to go now,’ he says, looking out the window of his hotel soon. “I’m going try to track down one of their runners.” </p><p> </p><p>“Stay safe. Bye Oliver.”</p><p> </p><p>“Bye,” Oliver says and Felicity hangs up. </p><p> </p><p>He calls his mother and Thea next and promises him that he’s fine, and yes, he’ll be home soon. </p><p> </p><p>Tommy calls him, just as Oliver is about to click his contact. “Hey, Oliver. I heard about the trial. Did it go well?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. They compromised. How’s everything back home?”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright. Diggle and felicity are holding down the fort here. Did you go to New York because of the list?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s what led me here, yes. I’ll be home later than I thought. I’m going to wait before this blows over before going after anyone.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll pass the message. You stay safe. Bye Oliver.”</p><p> </p><p>“Bye Tommy.”</p><p> </p><p>The call ends and Oliver gets his laptop out. He remembered hearing something from his old contacts. Two men had escaped a prison, Utkin if he remembered correctly, about six years ago. Anatoly and Vladimir Ranskahov. Rumour had it they were trying to make a name for themselves, and rebuild their ‘empire,’ after what happened in Moscow. </p><p> </p><p>Oliver makes a note of it and decides to settle in for the night. Tomorrow he’ll go out and see if he can find someone to get him in contact with the brothers.</p><p> </p><p>**********</p><p> </p><p>He sees the kid, and this time it really is an honest to god kid, for the first time in Midtown Manhattan. He’s walking with two other people into a highschool. The kid was nervously tracing a tattoo, a circle with a dot inside, on his wrist. Along with the tattoo, he was a purple phoenix on the back of one hand, a soulmark probably. The kid’s hair and eyes are dark. Every so often he would look into the alleys and would scan the faces of passing people. </p><p> </p><p>The next time Oliver sees the kid he’s in a cafe, looking at old articles on his laptop. The kid’s outside on the sidewalk talking to a blond man before he nods and the walks away in the other direction. The man waits by the door of the next building, a deli by the looks of it, and thumbs through a book Oliver can’t catch the title of. His hands are tattooed, the one Oliver sees is a skull in front of what looks like a star. </p><p> </p><p>Oliver waits in the cafe, drinking his coffee and eating the muffin he ordered and continues to look through articles. The next he looks up the blond man is gone.</p><p> </p><p>He stands, leaves his tip on the table, and leaves. It’s a Sunday, long ago he’d be in a church, but today he walks around, seeing the sights. He ventures into Central Park and wanders around for a bit. The air’s turning colder and the leaves are being to change colour. It’s quiet for the most part and Oliver enjoys it.</p><p> </p><p>Oliver wakes early the next morning and gets breakfast at the hotel. He spends the days in and out of galleries and museums. </p><p> </p><p>Later, at the time most schools are getting out, Oliver moves in the direction of the school, figuring he’ll see if the kid’ll talk to him. He gets out and stays with his two friends. The three walk in a group. The girl has a yellow phoenix on the back of her hand, the same hand the boy has his phoenix on. The boy though, is holdings hands with the second one. </p><p> </p><p>Oliver files that information away for later, should it ever come up. After a while, a few blocks really, the dark-haired boy tenses and starts looking around more. At one point he turns and locks eyes with Oliver. His eyes narrow and his mouth thins. He turns back quickly, grabs his friends wrists, and tugs them after him. One hisses out, “<em> Ivan- </em>” they move out of Oliver’s range of hearing before he can hear the rest of the sentence. </p><p> </p><p>Oliver loses them in the crowd but he sees them minutes later ducking out of an alley. Oliver looks away and follows the crowd until he’s stopped by a stream of traffic. The kids have crossed then and have run into another alley.</p><p> </p><p>Oliver walks past the alley they ran into when he reaches it, he could see them at the other end, ready to run. He ignores them and sees Ivan’s shoulders sag with relief. Best not let him get suspicious. </p><p> </p><p>**********</p><p> </p><p>On the way back to the hotel Oliver stops in a clothing shop. There he buys a green hoodie and black cargo pants. He didn’t want to risk bringing his jerkin/hood to the airport and have it getting caught on the scanners. He’ll figure out what to do about his lack of arrow and bows later. He buys other clothes too so the workers there won’t get suspicious. </p><p> </p><p>**********</p><p> </p><p>Oliver sets out on finding Ivan to talk to him the next day. The night before he looked him up, eventually leading to a series of articles, some being almost seven years old. </p><p> </p><p>A family in Russia, the Alexandrite family, was killed, leaving only their son alive. He was ten. His parents were killed over a feud with the local mafia, a small branch of the bigger Bratva. Most of the family’s money, and some jewels, and old paintings oddly enough, were found missing. Based on what Oliver read they were never recovered. Three years later the rest of the family, the extended family, picked and moved without a trace all but disappearing from the face of the earth. Ivan was left alone. </p><p> </p><p>The mystery of it left Oliver feeling uneasy and wondering if Ivan knew why his family died and why his relatives later abandoned him. Probably not seeing as how he was working for the people affiliated with his parent’s murderers. But Oliver had a name now and for the moment that was more important than the mystery surrounding the kid’s past.</p><p> </p><p>**********</p><p> </p><p>Oliver finds Ivan easily enough. He leads his friends into another alley and ends up walking the almost too tight spaces between buildings. At one point he sees Ivan helping them up from a fire escape onto the roof of an apartment building. Oliver doesn’t follow them. He simply waits for them where he guesses they’ll end up. </p><p> </p><p>It doesn’t take long for Ivan and his friends to jump down from the fire-escape right into Oliver’s path. He smiles at them. “Hey,” he says, “I’m lost and I was wondering if I could get directions. </p><p> </p><p>Ivan’s eyes narrow, he’s suspicious, but the other boy almost lights up. “Sure.” The girl nods along with him.</p><p> </p><p>Ivan cast both of them a disproving look. “Where do you need to be Oliver Queen?” he asks. There’s a slight accent to his voice, not as heavy as other people’s Oliver has talked to before.</p><p> </p><p>“Central park.” </p><p> </p><p>Ivan’s eyes narrow even more. “You were there yesterday though, were you not?” He tilts his head. “And you say you are lost and don’t know your way?”</p><p> </p><p>The girl hisses something at him under her breath but he ignores it. Instead, he crosses his arms, pulling up his sleeves hence revealing the tattoo, and continues staring into Oliver’s eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“I got lost like you said.” Oliver smiles, going for a confused though hopeful tourist look.</p><p> </p><p>“Forgive me, sir,” Ivan says sounding more accusing than sorry, “but you managed to survive on an island for five years. If I know anything about what you did in the past you wouldn’t have made it a day there. So forgive me if I don’t believe you are “lost”.”</p><p> </p><p>The kid’s smart, Oliver will give him that. He drops the facade. “You’re right,” Oliver says in Russian. Ivan’s eyes widen and he drops his arms to his sides as he takes a step back. “I’m not lost.” Then in English, “I was hoping I could talk to Ivan Alexandrite.”</p><p> </p><p>At that Ivan’s entire body tenses. “How do you know my name? How do you know Russian?”</p><p> </p><p>“I picked it up. I just want to talk,” he says, and he taps his chest where the star was tattooed.</p><p> </p><p>Ivan seemed to pick up what he meant. “Go,” he tells his friends. “I’ll meet you there.” He looks at Oliver almost disgustedly. “I suppose I’ll have to talk to him.” </p><p> </p><p>His friends nod and walk past them before going around a corner, vanishing from sight. “What the hell do you want,” Ivan all but snarls once his friends are out of earshot. </p><p> </p><p>“Is there somewhere we can talk where no one can hear us?”</p><p> </p><p>“I know a place. Follow me and keep up or we aren’t talking.”</p><p> </p><p>Ivan runs up a fire-escape and leads him over rooftops. The path was overly complicated for where they ended up. Oliver’s sure he did it on purpose, probably trying to tire him out and/or lose him. </p><p> </p><p>They end up in an old apartment building on the edges of the Clinton neighbourhood. They're in the top floor. It’s big, and empty save for a singular couch and a coffee table that sits in front of it.</p><p> </p><p>“So,” Ivan says, flopping onto the couch, “what would you ever need from me.” Oliver drags the coffee table out away from the couch and sits on it. It creaks but stays sturdy and doesn’t move again. “And I need proof you are who you say you are.”</p><p> </p><p>Oliver pulls his shirt down enough that the tattoo is showing. Ivan’s eyes widen and he slowly looks up to meet Oliver’s “You know you could be killed if you’re lying about that,” Ivan says, pointing at the tattoo.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m aware.”</p><p> </p><p>“So, what brings you from Washington to here? And why <em>me</em>? I’m worth almost nothing.”</p><p> </p><p>“I came here looking for someone. I need to know if he’s in New York’s branch.”</p><p> </p><p>Ivan stares again, this time judgemental. “Do you have a name? Nothing you’ve said is helpful to me. They’ll be verifying if that’s real by the way.”</p><p> </p><p>“I have a name.”</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s hear it then. I don’t have all day.”</p><p> </p><p>Oliver frowns. “If you’re as low as you say then I’m your superior. Even then I<em> am </em>older. Why do they keep you around exactly?”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re only my superior if what your saying is true. And I don’t know why. Probably because no suspects the poor orphan who limps and jump at every noise and barely speaks English.”</p><p> </p><p>“You seem fluent to me.”</p><p> </p><p>Ivan scoffs. “I let them think that. And I still haven’t heard the name.” At Oliver’s raised eyebrow he adds, “Sir,” rolling his eyes as he says it. Oliver doesn’t think it worth enough to mention so he doesn’t.</p><p> </p><p> “His name is Malbona Ulo. Do you know him?”</p><p> </p><p>Ivan lays on the couch and looks up the ceiling. “Uhh, nope.” He turns his head to look at Oliver. “I don’t know him. I only know a few anyway so,” he shrugs.</p><p> </p><p>“Your superiors then. They’ll probably know who I’m talking about.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll tell them but they might not agree.”</p><p> </p><p>“Great. How will I know if they agree?” Ivan shrugs and Oliver lets out a huff. “I’ll give you my phone number then. Call me if they agree with the time and place.”</p><p> </p><p>Ivan shrugs. “If you’re sure.” He tosses his phone to Oliver, making him scramble for it. </p><p> </p><p>Oliver puts the number in it and hands it back. “Don’t bother sharing it with anyone.” He smiles thinly. “It’s for my burner and won’t get you anything.”</p><p> </p><p>“Whatever man. Can I go now? I got places to be.” </p><p> </p><p>“I’m not stopping you.”</p><p> </p><p>**********</p><p> </p><p>Two days later Oliver gets a call from an unknown number. “Ivan?” He asks.</p><p> </p><p>“Who else? They agreed. Tonight down at the docs. This is the only night they’re willing to meet.”</p><p> </p><p>“What time?” </p><p> </p><p>“They’ll get there after dark and leave at three. If you don’t show then they said not to bother contacting me, or them, again.”</p><p> </p><p>“They?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. Anatoly and Vladimir Ranskajov. You’ll know them when you’ll see them.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure.” </p><p> </p><p>Oliver gets a call from Diggle later in the day when he’s eating lunch at a little cafe type place he found. “Hey.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hi. You find what you needed to yet?”</p><p> </p><p>“Almost. I’m meeting with some people later. I’ll see what I know later.”</p><p> </p><p>“You in public?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. I found this restaurant by the hotel to eat at.”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright. Call me later?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure thing. Bye Dig.”</p><p> </p><p>“Bye Oliver.”</p><p> </p><p>Oliver finishes his food. He heads towards a sporting goods store he saw while on his way over. Inside there is certainly a variety of choices. There he buys a bow, it’s cheap but it’ll do, and arrows that are likely poorly made. </p><p> </p><p>Once purchased he takes his new, and temporary, bow to an archery range. He almost didn’t need to, the draw is hardly anything compared to what he’s used in the past. The arrows might be a problem. They were cheap and the quality is low. If it comes to it Oliver supposes he can just take the person out without it. He buys armour next, a simple bulletproof vest, better to not make anyone suspect him, for the meeting and when he goes after Malbona Ulo.</p><p> </p><p>That night he finds two people down at the docs, standing by a parked car. One is blond and has a jagged scar going don one side of his face. It narrowly missed his eye by the looks of it. The other has brown hair and has no scars marring his face. That one Oliver knows to be Anatoly. </p><p> </p><p>“You Oliver Queen?” Anatoly asks.</p><p> </p><p>“The one and only.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ivan tells us you have a question,” the blond, probably Vladimir, says. “What is it?” he asks, this time in Russian.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m looking for a man,” Oliver says, also in Russian. “His name’s Malbona Ulo. Do either of you know him?”</p><p> </p><p>The Ranksahov’s exchange a look. “We’ve met him before,” Vladimir says, venom and suspicion creeping into his voice. “What do you want with him?”</p><p> </p><p>“He has something he has to answer for. Is he in your,” Oliver raises his eyebrows, “group?”</p><p> </p><p>Vladimir’s lips curl into a sneer. “He was. Until he started making trouble.”</p><p> </p><p>Anatoly puts a hand on Vladimir’s arms and looks at him for a second. Vladimir takes a step back and Anatoly says, “He was making things difficult for us. We haven’t seen him since he was in Hell’s Kitchen, making things difficult for our men.”</p><p> </p><p>“When was this?”</p><p> </p><p>“A few weeks ago. No one’s seen him since.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks,” Oliver says. “It was a pleasure.” He sticks out a hand and they both shake it, Vladimir more reluctantly than his brother.</p><p> </p><p>Just as about Oliver’s about to leave the lot a shout of his name stops him. “Wait,” Vladimir says and Oliver turns just as the brother’s reach him. </p><p> </p><p>“Yes?”</p><p> </p><p>“You say you are Bratva. I have never heard of an American reaching such a rank.” Vladimir tilts his head to one side ever so slightly, almost snakelike. His eyes are sharp, calculating. Oliver doesn’t look away when Vladimir stares into his eyes. “What did you do to reach it?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s a long story,” Oliver says. </p><p> </p><p>Vladimir taps his wrist, he’s wearing a watch. His other wrist is loosely wrapped in tape, probably hiding his soulmark. Tape is wound Anatoly’s wrist as well. “We have time,” he says. “Two hours in fact. So, why don’t you tell us? Unless,” Vladimir’s eyes narrow at this, “you’re lying?”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course I’m not.”</p><p> </p><p>Vladimir takes a step closer, and, ignoring Anatoly’s hand on his shoulder, says in Russian, “Then why don’t you prove it?”</p><p> </p><p>**********</p><p> </p><p>Oliver tells them a shortenedversion of how and why it happened. After he tells them both Ranskahov’s are more willing to tell Oliver more about what they know about Malbona Ulo’s whereabouts and what he had been doing in past months. </p><p> </p><p>Back at the hotel, Oliver finds police records about Ulo and cases that might have to do with him. Oliver marks it on a map of the city. Based on past crimes and sightings, and what the brothers have told him Ulo likely has hideouts scattered throughout Clinton and along with the rest of Manhattan.</p><p> </p><p>He sends what he found to Diggle and Felicity and promises him he’ll be home soon. They tell him to be safe and hurry back, his friends (read Tommy) are asking questions.</p><p> </p><p>For the rest of the next day, he rests and makes a plan on how he’ll find Ulo.</p><p> </p><p>Tomorrow, Oliver will find him, and Malbona Ulo will answer for his crimes.</p><p> </p>
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